EFFORTS are being made to get a heavyweight piece of history back on track.

A 15-ton heavily rusted locomotive ladle that once used to carry iron and steel waste at the British Steel works, on Teesside, is being cleaned and restored as part of a Prince's Trust community project.

The six-metre long Pollock design ladle locomotive is undergoing its facelift at the Kirkleatham Museum, Redcar, East Cleveland.

It is to be put on permanent display as "visual community art" at South Tees Business Centre, South Bank, near Middlesbrough. Before that can happen, the site of its new home must be levelled and tracks laid.

The eight-strong team has set itself only two weeks to complete the task.

Once the ladle is carefully positioned into its new home by a crane and a low loader, it will stand alongside a memorial plaque and a brief history of it and how it got to its new home.

Stephen Downey, who has been part of the team to prepare the site and organise the move, said, "It's been a lot of hard work over the past week and a lot of digging. Now we are into our final week of the project, it is all coming together.''

Adrian Howell, manager of the business centre, said: "The arrival of the ladle is creating a great deal of interest amongst the businesses resident in the centre, and I would like to thank everyone involved in the project, particularly the staff at Kirk-leatham Museum and Cleveland Fire Brigade and Stockton Riverside College's Prince's Trust team."

* Anyone who may have worked on, or have any information about, the piece is asked to contact Graham Moon or Karen Duncan on (01642) 497108.

Published: 29/10/2004